Qatar Airways makes San Francisco its newest US destination
Qatar Airways will make San Francisco its newest destination.
Beginning Dec. 15, the carrier will offer four flights a week to its hub in Doha. Qatar Airways will fly the 8,087-mile route with Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The carrier's A350-900s seat 283 passengers, including 36 Qsuite business-class seats and 247 in economy. Flight time is listed at 15 hours, 20 minutes on the Doha-bound leg and 15 hours, 40 minutes on the return.
Qatar Airways' move to add San Francisco (SFO) comes as demand for international travel has cratered during the coronavirus pandemic.
"As we navigate the crisis, we have made it a priority to not only reinstate our existing destinations and be the airline travelers can rely on, but to also grow our network and increase connectivity with new and relevant destinations for our customers to enjoy," Akbar Al Baker, the carrier's outspoken CEO, said in a statement announcing the service.
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San Francisco will become the ninth U.S. city currently served by Qatar Airways.
The others are Boston (BOS); Chicago O'Hare (ORD); Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW); Houston Bush Intercontinental (IAH); Los Angeles (LAX); New York-JFK; Philadelphia (PHL) and Washington Dulles (IAD).
Qatar Airways also has suspended service to two other U.S. destinations – Atlanta (ATL) and Miami (MIA). Miami service is scheduled to resume in December, according to the carrier's website. And a spokesperson for the carrier tells TPG that Qatar Airways also intends to reinstate flights to Atlanta, though no timeline has been given.
For now, Qatar Airways will be the second of the three big Gulf carriers to fly from San Francisco. Emirates also flies from SFO to its hub in Dubai. Abu Dhabi-based Etihad previously flew from San Francisco, but discontinued service there in 2017 as it ran into financial headwinds.
More from TPG:My thoughts on flying Qatar Qsuite as a group of 4
Qatar Airways is a member of the Oneworld frequent-flyer alliance that also includes American and British Airways. That allows American and British Airways can earn and redeem miles for Qatar Airways San Francisco-Doha nonstop. Since the flight was just loaded into the system, it might take some time for award availability to show up online.
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Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month